NOTA beats 7 candidates
Srinagar, Nov 14: The Budgam assembly bypoll, which saw the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) create history by ending the National Conference (NC’s uninterrupted 67-year dominance of the constituency, also produced a significant pattern at the bottom of the results: the None of the Above (NOTA) option secured more votes than seven candidates, signalling a clear message of dissatisfaction from sections of the electorate.
A total of 17 candidates were in the fray, and 63,099 votes were polled in the by-election.
The contest was won by PDP’s Aga Syed Muntazir, who secured 21,576 votes, defeating NC’s Aga Syed Mehmood, who received 17,098.
The bypoll was necessitated after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah vacated Budgam last year, choosing to retain his Ganderbal seat after winning from both constituencies.
While the contest at the top was decisive and historic, the lower half of the tally told a contrasting story.
NOTA received 544 votes, a number higher than those secured by seven candidates—including nominees from national parties, regional parties, and independents.
NOTA is a ballot option that allows voters to reject all candidates contesting an election while still exercising their right to vote.
Introduced in India following a landmark Supreme Court verdict in 2013, the NOTA option was added to Electronic Voting Machines as the last button, offering citizens a formal way to reject all listed candidates without leaving the polling booth.
In recent years, NOTA has evolved into a potent symbol of silent protest.
In Budgam, that protest was pronounced enough to surpass several candidates.
AAP’s Deeba Khan finished with 459 votes, below the NOTA tally. Independent candidate Aditi Sharma received 283 votes, followed by Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Manzoor Ahmad Ganie with 223 votes.
Muhammad Shafi Shah of the Sampoorna Bharat Kranti Party secured 213 votes, closely trailed by Parvej Ahmad Mir of the Republican Party of India (A), who polled 212.
Shabir Ahmad Ganie of the National Loktantrik Party received 171 votes, and Farooq Ahmad of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (Bhim) finished last with 57 votes, the lowest in the field. The fact that NOTA outperformed seven candidates reflects a broader shift in voter behaviour in Jammu and Kashmir, where citizens increasingly prefer to register dissatisfaction through a formal mechanism rather than by abstaining.
